High Desert School Hawk Happenings
Week of March 11, 2024
Good evening High Desert Hawks and Families,
This week, we want to share some reminders:
- It's OK to say NO Peer pressure is a real part of life. Teaching students how to stand up for what is right and that it is ok to say no and walk away is a very important lesson. What Your Teen Needs to Know about Manipulators and How to Say No
- On-time Behavior is crucial to effective instruction in classrooms. Please support your student in arriving to school on time. Students should be one campus at 7:55am so that they can be in the classroom prepared to learn at 8:00am. In addition, students need to walk to class when the first bell rings. We will be supporting on-time behavior with PBIS Rewards Points for students who are on time. Students with tardies will be assigned lunch detention when they reach three tardies. Thank you for your support in students attending class on time.
- Daily attendance is very important to student success. School, even in the early years, is critical to building a strong foundation for learning that will help your child succeed in middle school, high school and beyond. You cannot make up for too many absences with homework or take-home assignments. Please support your student's school success by ensuring that they attend school each day.
- Cell Phones are to be off and in student's backpacks during the day. Research shows that kids and teens do better with phones away during school hours. Please support your student with focus on school by reminding them to keep their cell phones Away for the Day.
- Dress Code is part of our school campus culture. Please review the school dress code and support your student in following the dress code.
LCAP Survey - Community Input Needed by March 10th
As part of the creation and updating of our Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), we survey the students, staff, and community yearly to gain input on progress toward our LCAP goals.
Please take a moment to give us input. Click this link to take the survey by March 10th.
No School - Monday, March 11th
Weekly Flight Plan
Week of March 11, 2024
Monday, March 11
- NO SCHOOL for Students due to District Professional Development
Tuesday, March 12
- ELPAC Testing Window Begins
- 100-Mile Club 2:20-3:00pm
- 7/8th Handbells 2:30-3:15pm
- Varsity Soccer Game @ HDS - Girls 3, Boys 4
- HDS Arts Day
- Early Release - Dismissal 1:10pm
- 100-Mile Club 1:15-1:45pm
- Varsity Boys Soccer Practice 1:30-3:30pm
Thursday, March 14
- 100-Mile Club 2:20-3:00pm
- Varsity Soccer Game @ Mojave - Girls 3, Boys 4
Friday, March 15
- HDS Hawks Spirit Day
- STAR Reading and Math Benchmarks
- Coffee with the Counselor 8:30am
- Varsity Girls Soccer Practice 2:30-4:30pm
Have a great week and Go Hawks!
Help Wanted - HDS Booster Club Snack Bar
HDS Booster Club Snack Bar is looking for parents who are able to run the snack bar during soccer games.
If you’re able to, please consider donating a little bit of your time and helping out with our snack bar, which is Booster Clubs' most profitable fundraiser. Click to sign up.
Help us raise funds to "Light up the Field."
Hawk Happenings
Hawks Family STEAM Night an Engaging Success
Thank you to all of the students and families that joined up for STEAM Night at the Hawk's Nest! Thank you to our staff members who supported the event: Mrs. Goodstein, Mrs. Acuna, Ms. Alford Walsh, Ms. Walker, Miss Ayers, Mrs. Blalock, Mrs. Hulbert, and Mrs. Campbell.
Special thank you to Mr. Fallgatter and Mrs. Valdovinos for their help with the egg drop. We couldn't have done it without their support and bravery.
Marshmallow Tower
STEAM Night Ready
Our amazing Hawks are ready for an incredible STEAM Night!
Chili Cook-off
Thank you to our amazing HDS Booster Club for hosting our first Chili Cook-off!
Black Light Painting
Thank you to Mrs. McWilson for leading our Black Light Paint Night!
Rollercoaster Races
The rollercoasters ran fast as the students built them for speed and connectivity.
Foil Boats
Congratulations on building a boat with a single sheet of foil that held an incredible 35 nuts.
Egg Drop
Can you build a vehicle that will sustain a fall from the top of the MPR while protecting the egg inside? Parachutes for the win!
Pringles Ring
Can you construct a circle using Pringles? Students had fun testing strategies and exploring the physics of a ring.
Rockets Soar
We ended the night with a rocket launch. How high can your rocket fly?
Arts Day - March 13th
Coffee with the Counselor - March 15th @ 8:30am
We invite all parents and guardians to join us on Friday morning for Coffee with the Counselor. We will discuss testing preparation strategies and how to reduce testing anxiety. With state testing coming up next month, this is a great time to prepare students and give them tips for reducing test anxiety and stress.
Hawk Highlights
Mrs. Blalock's Class
"I want to give a Hawk Highlight to Mrs. Blalock's class. Changing teachers during the school year can be tough. I am so proud of this group of students and the way that they have welcomed Mrs. B. They are doing a great job with following directions and learning new classroom routines. Great job!"
~ Mrs. Mahotz
Valentina Perez
"When Valentina was absent, she went out of her way to find out what the homework was and to complete it on her own. Thank you for being a diligent student who is conscientious about her work."
~ Mrs. Reveles
McKenzie Goodman
"I encourage students to complete and work on their ecosystem projects early. Kenzie took my word and finished her project two weeks before it was due. Her diligence as a student shows in the work she does."
~ Mrs. Reveles
HDS Academics
AVID Advisory and SEL - Weekly Focus
- AVID - This week, we are learning more about testing anxiety and how we can use test taking strategies to overcome fear. Join us at Coffee with the Counselor this week to learn how to support students from home with test taking tips.
- SEL - This week we continue supporting students with learning about multiple perspectives, conflict, and how to resolve conflict.
Step Up Tutoring - FREE for Grades 5-6
Step Up delivers 1-on-1 math tutoring, conducted online with a consistent tutor
Students receive tailored math support using a curriculum that is tailored to address their needs
Tutors focus on relationship-building and provide mentorship in a fun learning environment
Students receive tutoring at least twice weekly via one of three program models: at-home, during an after-school program, or during the school day
HDS Parent/Guardian Involvement for Student Success
Thank You to our DELAC Parents and Team - See you at our next meetings in April
HDS Used Books Collection
If you are doing an pre-Spring cleaning at home, please go through your bookshelves for any books that you are no longer using. Booster Club will be doing a used book sale to help with the "Light It Up" fundraiser while providing new books for our kids to read before summer, filling up classroom libraries, and the school library. We prefer middle school age chapter books, but are open to others as well.
Please bring any used book donations to the office with a slip of paper containing the student name donating and the amount of books to enter in the prize raffle.
Parent Ambassador Leaders (PALs) Program Application and Toolkit
As a district we are looking for ways to engage our families and our community more.
The Parent Ambassador Program is a great way for us to begin. Please check this out and let me know if you know of any of our parents who might be interested.
The Parent Ambassador Leaders (PALs) program is currently accepting applications for the spring semester! PALs is designed to help parents learn, share, and get paid-$550!
- Learn: PALs help parents/guardians (parents) learn about four topics connected to student health and school success via online trainings.
- Share: Parents share what they have learned with people in their child’s school community and can connect others with resources and partners in the community.
- Paid: Parents are paid $550 when they finish approximately 6 hours of training and 14 hours of outreach activities (approximately 20 hours total). Parents receive a gift card at the end of the semester (Spring 2024).
Because outreach activities occur at elementary, middle, or high school campuses, interested parents will need the support of a school administrator. Parents can work with administration to determine what type of outreach would be most beneficial to their specific school site.
Spread the word! Are there parents at your school that are already involved and invested? Share the attached flyer with your various parent groups and encourage parents to apply. Visit the Ambassador home page to find out more about the program.
For additional assistance regarding the PALs program, please contact TK12Ambassador@ph.lacounty.gov
Attendance Matters
HDS Spirit Wear
HDS Yearbook 2024
Yearbooks are selling quickly. They are a great way to preserve the memories that students make during their middle school years. Purchase your yearbook today online or in the HDS Office.
HDS Athletics and Activities
Dance Force Team Competes This Weekend - March 9-10
Join us to cheer on our Dance Force Teams as they compete this weekend at Antelope Valley College.
4/5th - March 9th 9:00am-1:00pm
6/7/8th - March 10 9:00am-1:00pm
8th Grade Dedications
We invite parents and guardians of our 8th grade Hawks to write a dedication to them in the yearbook. If you purchased a spirit pack, the dedication is already paid for. If not, the cost of the dedication is $5.
Click this link for the Dedication Form
Dedications are due March 15th.
8th Grade Baby Photos
We would like to feature EVERY 8th grader in the yearbook with a photo of them as a baby/younger kid. Please submit photos to Mrs. Goodstein or upload them to the community upload using the code "yearbook2024"
Baby Photos are due March 15th.
Hobby Photos
All of our Hawks have hobbies in and outside of school. We would like to include them in the yearbook. Please submit photos to Mrs. Goodstein or upload them to the community upload using the code "yearbook2024"
Hobby Photos are due March 15th.
Soccer Game Schedule
The Silver League Game Schedule has been released. Click here for full schedule.
HDS Counseling Corner
Teen Mental Health Toolkit - For Parents and Guardians
About half of teens in the U.S. had a mental health concern at some point in their life. Recognizing teen mental health issues and connecting to early intervention and treatment can be lifesaving. Check out this free guide to the most common teen mental health challenges and find local mental health resources.
HDS Community Opportunities
Antelope Valley CAC Meeting
The AV SELPA invites all parents of students participating in the Special Education Program to join the CAC for an informational meeting regarding IEPs.
VFW Illustrating America Art Contest
The VFW is pleased to present this National art contest to introduce, encourage, and recognize young artist with patriotism through art. Entries will be judged on patriotic theme and technique. Entries are due by March 31, 2024.
VFW Auxiliary National Singing Contest
The VFW encourages students to "Get Excited for the Red, White, and Blue!" Students enter by submitting a video solo vocal performance of The Star-Spangled Banner. Entries are due by March 31, 2024.
Autry Museum Visions of Freedom Art Exhibition
The Autry Museum invites all student to submit a two-dimensional piece of artwork representing the theme: Visions of Freedom.
Student application must be submitted online.
Entries due to the HDS Office by March 12, 2024
Sunny Days - Kids Summer Day Camp
Early bird pricing is now available for early registration for summer camp. Kids Summer Day Camp is run by Sunny Days and is located at the AADUSD District Office building across from Acton Park. See flyer for more details.
Consent for California Healthy Kids Survey - Grades 5 and 7
Dear Parents or Guardians:
Your child is being asked to be a part of our school’s California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) sponsored by the California Department of Education (CDE). This is a very important survey that will help promote better health and well-being among our youth, improve the school learning environment and combat problems such as drug abuse and violence. Students will complete the survey during AVID the week of March 25-29, 2024. Your child does not have to take the survey. If you do not want your child to complete the survey, you must notify your school.
Survey Content. The survey gathers information on developmental supports provided to youth; school connectedness and barriers to learning; school safety; health-related concerns such as physical activity and nutritional habits; alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; risk of depression and suicide; and protected class identifiers such as sexual orientation and gender identity.
You may examine the questionnaire in the school office or at your district’s web site aadusd.k12.ca.us.
The results from this survey are compiled into district- and county-level CHKS Reports. To view a copy of your district’s report, go to https://calschls.org/reports-data/search-lea-reports/ (Outside Source) and type in the district name.
- It is Voluntary. Students who, with your permission, agree to participate do not have to answer any questions they do not want to answer, and may stop taking the survey at any time.
- It is Anonymous. No names are recorded or attached to the survey forms or data. The results will be made available for analysis only under strict confidentiality controls.
Administration. The survey will be administered on Week of March 25-29, 2024
Potential Risks. There are no known risks of physical harm to your child. Risks of psychological or social harm are very small. None have been reported in 25 years of survey administration. In rare instances, some discomfort might be experienced from the questions. The school’s counseling services will be available to answer any personal questions that may materialize.
For Further Information. The survey was developed for the CDE by WestEd, a public, non-profit educational institution. If you have any questions about this survey, or about your rights, contact your school principal
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If you do not want your child to participate, you may contact your school principal.
Hawk Scholar/Parent Resources
HDS 23-24 School Calendar
Stay up to date on all of the Hawk Happenings throughout the school year. Check out our Yearlong Calendar for the 2023-2024 School Year.
Hawk Handbook
Our scholar handbook contains vital information regarding school policies and procedures, please review with your scholar.
HDS Dress Code
Scholar attire is important to keep the focus on learning. Please review and support your scholar in adhering to the school dress code.
HDS Bell Schedule
On-time Behavior is crucial to effective instruction in classrooms. Please support your student in arriving to school on time.
M/T/Th/F - 8:00am to 2:20pm
W - 8:00am - 1:10pm
PBIS Rewards Family App Access
Our School is using PBIS Rewards to help us with our PBIS program! PBIS Rewards is a technology-based PBIS Management System that helps us with our behavior incentive program. You can learn about PBIS Rewards at their website (www.pbisrewards.com).
Our students can earn rewards throughout the day by meeting our behavior expectations. These rewards are in the form of electronic points. They can redeem these points for privileges, tangible items, access to events, and other similar things. Our expectation is that we will see overall behavior improve throughout the school and that the number of referrals we have will decrease.
PBIS Rewards has a Family App that will give you some insight into how your child is doing with respect to our PBIS program. The Family App will run on most smart devices, including smartphones and tablets. You can find it in the iPhone/iPad App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon App Store. Just search for "PBIS Rewards Family."
An email has been sent to families to get you set up on the PBIS Rewards Family App. Please access this email from PBIS Rewards if you wish to access your child's progress. If you did not receive an email, please contact Mrs. Van Ornum so she can help get you set up.
High Desert School
Email: mvanornum@aadusd.k12.ca.us
Website: http://aadusd.k12.ca.is/domain/9/
Location: 3620 Antelope Woods Road, Acton, CA, USA
Phone: (661) 269-0310
Facebook: facebook.com/hdsboosterclub/
Twitter: @Highdesert_aad